Todd Gurley grew up in North Carolina, became famous in Georgia and Missouri, and is now the face of a franchise in Los Angeles. But before all that, he was a child of Baltimore.

He left for the Tar Heel State in grade school, but has his roots near the corner of Harford Avenue and 25th Street, roughly two miles east of Johns Hopkins University. He grew up a fan of the Ravens, and remains a fan of the Orioles.

Earlier this year, USA Today asked him to name three people he’d most like to have dinner with. He picked another Baltimore product, Carmelo Anthony, to join a group that also included Abraham Lincoln and Denzel Washington.

Gurley didn’t move back to the state for college, however; Maryland’s pitch as the “East Coast Oregon” – in terms of uniforms, at least – falling flat in the face of his desire to play in the SEC.

Getting personal

• Of all his collegiate performances, his favorite remains his debut: Georgia’s 2012 win over Buffalo that saw him total 100 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, as well as a 100-yard kick return.

• Gurley grew up watching “The Simpsons” because his older brother had the first 20 seasons on DVD. His favorite episode is “Stark Raving Dad,” which first aired in 1991 and guest-starred Michael Jackson.

• Before the 2015 NFL draft, Gurley said Los Angeles was the city he’d most like to live in. Funny how things work out.

Jeff Goertzen is the art director for Southern California News Group. He was previously the art director for The Denver Post, USA Today and El Mundo (Madrid) and has worked as a visual communications consultant for news agencies in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

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